Dana White’s Surprising Comments About Khabib vs McGregor Rematch

It was arguably the craziest night in MMA history as Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Conor McGregor then cannonballed into the crowd at UFC 229. It was weird, wonderful, controversial and ugly…

Most of the MMA community would agree an immediate Khabib vs McGregor rematch is not warranted. UFC president Dana White, however, remains unsure of that opinion…

It was set to be ‘fight of the year,’ the one spectacle everyone was talking about. Yes, Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor at UFC 229 was to shatter the promotion’s PPV records.

Although the fight itself wasn’t exactly the insane brawl everyone expected, the moments after Khabib’s submission win was exactly that. Launching himself into the crowd to scrap with Dillon Danis, ‘The Eagle’ set off a chain of events that would see both himself and McGregor temporarily banned in Nevada.

While the NSAC decides their fate, McGregor and Khabib are essentially blackballed from fighting in America.

UFC president Dana White made some interesting comments about a potential Khabib vs McGregor rematch

Dana White On Immediate Khabib vs McGregor Rematch

While talking to ESPN, as quoted by MMAJunkie.com, UFC boss man Dana White discussed a rematch between the promotion’s most popular duo. Although many feel McGregor needs to fight his way back through the rankings, White’s comments indicate there might be othe plans at play.

Also, rather surprising considering the chaos of the rivalry thus far, White says there will be no additional guidelines should the two clash again:

“I don’t know if the immediate rematch happens because we got to see what the Nevada State Athletic Commission hands down in December when that hearing happens,” White said. “So I’m not even thinking about that. I’m thinking about possibilities in the future but, right now, not even worth thinking about until we find out what happens in Nevada.”

“Well, my philosophy on this stuff is that this a fight,” White said in an ESPN.com Q&A. “Since the beginning of time people have said mean things to each other in a fight, no matter what. Muhammad Ali called Joe Frazier an Uncle Tom back when that was one of the worst things you could say to a guy. He called him a gorilla – ‘it’s gonna be a thriller and a chiller when I get the gorilla in Manilla’ – and things like that.

And for the rest of his life, (Frazier) hated Muhammad Ali, hated him for the things that he said about him. This is not the nice business; this is the fight business. This wasn’t the first time that mean things were said to another person, and it won’t be the last.”
What are the chances this happens all over again?

Second Dance…

Khabib has certainly been busy in his time off, recently announcing a new sponsorship deal with Gorilla Energy Drinks. He stated during a recent presser in Russia that a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr is ‘in the works.’

Would a second dance with McGregor make sense if the two are cleared by the NSAC in December? In terms of Khabib’s next fight, it would make more sense than boxing Mayweather, but less sense than fighting Tony Ferguson, at least in terms of legitimacy.